Multivitamins should not be relied upon as a replacement for a well-rounded diet and consistent physical activity. Interestingly, the consumption of a vitamin supplement can lead to noticeable improvements in seniors’ memory within a relatively short span of just one year, irrespective of their dietary habits.
In the realm of aging, the daily consumption of a multivitamin holds the potential to provide cognitive benefits. A comprehensive investigation involving over 3,500 individuals aged 60 and above, conducted jointly by researchers at Columbia University and Brigham and Women’s Hospital, unveiled that a daily nutritional supplement could result in a memory enhancement equivalent to roughly three years of cognitive aging reversal. In essence, individuals who incorporated vitamins into their routine exhibited memory capabilities akin to someone three years their junior.
Remarkably, the positive effects of multivitamin supplementation on memory were pronounced after just one year. As disclosed in a recent publication within the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, participants who took multivitamin supplements displayed notably superior performance in memory assessments compared to those who were administered a placebo “dummy” pill. What’s particularly encouraging is that this cognitive advantage was sustained over a three-year follow-up period.
“Multivitamins basically prevented three years of age-related memory loss,” stated study co-leader JoAnn Manson, MD. She is chief of the division of preventive medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and a professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School in Boston. “Multivitamins are a safe, accessible, and affordable approach to protecting cognitive health,” Dr. Manson said.
Multivitamins Not a Substitute for Healthy Lifestyle
The findings of this analysis have corroborated an earlier investigation, co-led by Manson, which established a connection between the daily intake of multivitamins and a deceleration in the progression of cognitive decline. The aforementioned research, published in Alzheimer’s and Dementia last September, involved a study of over 2,200 elderly individuals over a span of three years. The outcomes revealed that the regular use of multivitamins led to a 60 percent reduction in the rate of cognitive aging compared to a placebo.
Manson stresses, however, that while multivitamins have their merits, they cannot serve as a replacement for a nourishing diet and a health-conscious lifestyle that incorporates elements such as regular physical activity. She regards multivitamins as potentially complementary, particularly beneficial for individuals who face certain deficiencies in their diets.
“We’re not recommending that you just throw multivitamins at a fast food diet full of processed and fried foods,” she said. “Our first recommendation is that you should try to improve your diet and not just start popping pills.”
Findings Suggest Benefit Despite Present Habits
In this analysis, the researchers monitored 3,562 elderly individuals, who were divided randomly into two categories: one group was instructed to take a daily Centrum Silver brand multivitamin supplement, while the other group received a daily placebo. The average age of the participants was 71, approximately one-third of them were male, and slightly over 93 percent identified as white.
At the beginning of the study, the participants’ eating habits were evaluated using the Alternative Healthy Eating Index, which rates diets on a scale from 0 to 110, with higher scores indicating healthier dietary choices. The average score among the participants was 43, suggesting that the diets of many individuals did not meet the optimal nutritional standards; however, the researchers noted that this average was consistent with dietary patterns in the broader U.S. population.
The outcomes of the study revealed a statistically significant advantage across the entire participant group, implying that even individuals with healthy diets could experience some positive effects from taking a multivitamin, as pointed out by Manson.
Although the study did not specifically measure vitamin and micronutrient deficiencies, a significant proportion of the study cohort provided blood samples, enabling scientists to delve further into their baseline nutritional status and various biomarkers like inflammation, cholesterol levels, and blood sugar levels.
The Centrum brand multivitamin used in the study included B vitamins, vitamins D, C, and A, along with other essential nutrients. While previous research has linked low levels of vitamin B12 and vitamin D to cognitive decline, Manson clarified that, at this juncture, the cognitive benefits couldn’t be attributed to any particular micronutrient. Instead, it’s plausible that a combination of the vital vitamins and minerals present in the multivitamin contributed to the observed outcomes.
Despite the study’s use of Centrum Silver, Manson expressed the belief that any high-quality standard multivitamin could likely offer similar memory and cognitive advantages.
The researchers also observed that individuals with a history of cardiovascular disease (which comprised less than 5 percent of the study population) experienced more notable cognitive improvements with the multivitamins. However, the exact reasons behind this trend necessitate further comprehensive investigation, according to the researchers.
Measuring Memory Gain
Participants in the study engaged in annual self-administered, web-based assessments of memory and cognition over a span of three years. To illustrate, one assessment involved memory recall, where participants viewed a list of 20 words and subsequently inputted all the words they could recollect. Among those assigned to the vitamin group, their average performance showed enhancement, increasing from 7.10 words at the commencement of the study to 7.81 words at the one-year mark, reflecting a rise of 0.71 words.
In contrast, the placebo group began with an average of 7.21 words, which saw an improvement of 0.44 words, reaching 7.65 words after the first year. This impact of vitamin supplementation on memory persisted throughout the three-year duration. The authors acknowledged the “significant” nature of this effect, while recognizing its modest magnitude, possibly escaping detection by all individuals using vitamins. They also pointed out that “even minor effect sizes can yield considerable health advantages at a population level.”
Dr. Jeffrey Linder, head of general internal medicine at Northwestern Feinberg School of Medicine, characterized the outcomes as “intriguing.” However, he didn’t deem them impactful enough to necessitate a change in medical practice.
“They found a slight difference in immediate memory recall at year one, but not in years two or three,” Dr. Linder, who was not involved in the research, said. “I have a hard time telling patients they should take a multivitamin to improve their word recall one year later — by about one-quarter of a word over the placebo group — and then there being no differences in years two and three.”
Participants who consumed vitamins as part of this research exhibited no significant improvements in assessments of their extended memory, visual memory, or executive function. These cognitive functions encompass the capacity to strategize, concentrate, recollect, and manage various tasks simultaneously.
In a previous publication from Northwestern University, Linder characterized multivitamins as a squandering of financial resources. The article underscored the importance of evidence-backed behaviors such as maintaining a nutritious diet and engaging in regular exercise.
“I worry that people are substituting a multivitamin in place of a good diet or as an insurance policy against a bad diet,” Linder said. “I worry that all the focus on supplements and vitamins distract people from things that really keep us healthy, like exercise and eating a healthy, well-balanced diet with lots of fruits and vegetables.”
Information provided by the National Institutes of Health indicates that approximately 40% of individuals aged 60 and above in the United States use multivitamins. In the year 2020, the sales of multivitamins and supplements reached an approximate total of $8 billion in the country.
Lander further mentioned that individuals who adopt healthy habits typically have infrequent occurrences of vitamin deficiencies.
More Data Still Needed to See Full Benefits for Varying Groups
However, he perceives no negative consequences in consuming a daily multivitamin and expresses interest in the conduction of extended randomized controlled trials over time to evaluate diverse aspects of cognitive function.
Manson and her team intend to delve further into this subject, exploring whether the advantages are more pronounced for individuals with insufficient nutritional levels and those from economically disadvantaged backgrounds. Furthermore, they aim to determine if younger demographics also observe cognitive benefits from regular multivitamin supplementation.
“We now have two separate trials showing benefits for memory and cognition with the multivitamins compared to placebo,” Manson said. “We know that nutrition is important for brain health, and this is such a clear signal of benefit.”
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